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This occasional newsletter brings you general information of interest to One Hundred Good Women members. To receive emails about current requests, please go to the Join/Renew page.

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100 Good Women News & Updates

Volunteer Needed

Posted by Sarah, 7 November 2014 - 10:40am

Volunteer Needed Immediately: Request Taker and Process Maker - Someone who is full of energy, compassion, realism & idealism (balanced) who has a desire to fix everything in the world. This person must have home/work access to a computer and be able to:

1. Check 100GW email requests and respond a few times per week

2. Make decisions on grocery and gas cards autonomously in most cases (help will be given, if needed, by past request takers).

3. Add in all requests to the Drive spreadsheet and update spreadsheet as requests are filled.

4. Go to Board when necessary for input.

5. Send needs on to Sarah for newsletter and/or Facebook.

6. Coordinate givers and getters if necessary, including text/ call/ email individuals with card pickup (check database to ensure no double-dipping). Gotta get the stuff to them.

7. Keep in contact with Melissa Dimoush at Hedges Insurance, who acts as our card giver and holding tank, regarding when a request is made and when they will be coming and what they need. i.e. a $50 Dillon’s card goes to ______ or ______ will be in to pick up sheets, etc.

8. Refer people to agencies as needed, again with the help of previous request takers if necessary.

9. Attend Board Meetings once a month on a Sunday afternoon. We offer support, fun and lively conversations at our board meetings, which we try desperately to keep to one hour.

10. Check in with the Forum to discuss Board decisions as email notifications come in.

11. Keep a healthy perspective and understand that even though you want to help everyone and save the world, it may not be possible. This is a mind boggling task but the one that our organization is built on.

Contact info@100goodwomen.org if you are interested or know someone you'd like to recommend. This is not a permanent position. It is only as long as you are able and invested. When you are ready to move on, we will work at finding another volunteer. We can't wait to hear from you.

Thank You Received, and Thank You

Posted by Sarah, 10 March 2014 - 10:06am

Thank You From a Client

Thank Yous are wonderful to receive. It is even better when it is in a hand-written card mailed the old-fashioned way. Ahhhhh. So lovely to know that we have helped and that what we have done has mattered. Thank yous are few and far between in life, so remember to tell someone thank you today.

The following is what we received (redacted):Dear 100 Good Women,
Thank you for your generosity. Before Christmas my job coach X was able to receive a gift card to Dillon's, through you, so that I could pay for gas money and the application fee for my substitute teaching license. The holiday was a very stressful time regardless, and being jobless only added to the problem. I am happily employed now with a great job. Thank you for your help in making that happen.
Sincerely,
X

So thank you to all of you who help by donating via our website, or by dropping off a grocery card. These are real people with real lives and real need. Your help matters.
Please click >>> for Paypal donations or to renew membership ($10 dues).

We will have reusable fantastic white and grey 100 GW bags for sale at our Clothing Exchange on April 13th! This will be an exciting and fun event. More details in Flyer.

Dues, If You Can.

Posted by Sarah, 27 February 2014 - 4:39pm

Hello community! Dues time has come again and we would very much appreciate the payment of the dues if you can swing it. No pressure, but we are thankful for the money that we use to keep the website going, make flyers, put on the events (Clothing Exchange being one) and more. You can pay straight to Paypal. You can even set up a recurring amount if you are so inclined.

We recently realized that last year we received approximately 10-15% of the dues from members. If we could inch that a bit higher, it would be trememdous. But if you cannot donate at this time, don't worry about it. You do what you can do.

Furniture and Cards and a Hospital Bed and a Helper and...

Posted by Sarah, 27 February 2014 - 4:28pm

When times are tough we need to rely on each other for the things needed. Sometimes that is physical help, sometimes it is an item, sometimes it is food or gas money. Right now we have requests for all of those things. Please help us fulfill these needs. Thank you for everything you do.

Dressers!

a Dining set

Adult Beds (3 Queens)

a Hospital-style bed for blood-flow control

Someone to help move stuff from Ottawa to Eudora for a woman who was homeless until very recently but cannot get her things.

In case you missed it, we had a "Pay it Forward" moment recently. Someone who was in need last year and received grocery help came back to us and donated a grocery card to go to the next person in need. This was a full circle moment that touched our hearts. Thank you for donating, thank you for being involved, and thank you for all you do.

UPDATE: The Clothing exchange is on April 13th from 1-3 at Crown Toyota.

Team Dain

Posted by Sarah, 18 September 2013 - 12:06pm

100 Good Women was started 30 years ago by Sarah Jane Russell and Janet Bouley. They got 80 women together for a potluck to see how they could help those that fall through the cracks. Down-home, grass-roots, do-what-we-can-to-help-others kind of thing.

Sarah Jane's son, Dain, has been injured in a fall recently that has left him with some serious injuries. Follow these links and show your support for Team Dain. Here is his facebook page. Here is his YouCaring site if you would like to make a donation. Thank you for your support.

Compassion Starts Young

Posted by Sarah, 3 September 2013 - 12:08pm

What can we pass on to the generations below us? Beyond the building blocks of basic needs and growth and education, there is the sharing of the good. Let's teach our children, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren about what it means to give and to be kind and gracious.

School has started. It is a difficult time for those without friends. It is difficult, too, for those who are different in some way. Maybe they're shy. Or have a limp. Or use a wheelchair. Or don't have nice clothes. Or aren't fed breakfast at home and are ravenous and grumpy. Or get pulled out of class for extra math help. Or they stay back in the shadows because they don't look like everyone else.

What have we taught our children and nieces and nephews and grandchildren about how to ensure that a child isn't alone or persecuted? Maybe we teach them to smile and say hello. Perhaps they're confident enough to sit next to or make friends with that child who is different.

Let's notice someone in the right way. Don't let him or her walk alone, sit alone, play alone. Don't let that young person be persecuted or taunted or teased. Don't let that kid continue to think they are too different or not worthy of being loved enough. Because they aren't too different. And if they aren't loved enough right now, that can change. Their worlds will expand as they grow older. They will meet more people with whom they have things in common. They will find more and more acceptance. They don't know that yet. That life can get better and good people are out that will care about them. That they can grow up and find acceptance in the life they create for themselves.

But for now, today, let's teach our kids that thisis their responsibility. To notice that someone is in need, and that maybe all they need right at that moment is a kind word or a smile. It is not enough to teach our children to try not create pain in the world or simply have strength against the pain in the world. Let's teach them to change the pain in the world. It all begins small. But it doesn't end small. It becomes a community of people helping each other and creating good.

Dalai Lama- "It’s in our interest to take care of others. Self-centredness is opposed to basic human nature. In our own interest as human beings we need to pay attention to our inner values. Sometimes people think compassion is only of help to others, while we get no benefit. This is a mistake. When you concern yourself with others, you naturally develop a sense of self-confidence. To help others takes courage and inner strength."

Welcome and Thank You

Posted by Sarah, 7 August 2013 - 12:12pm

Welcome to the new members who have signed on to be a part of 100 Good Women. And thank you to the members who continue to support this community.

You may have noticed that you received five request emails over the past week and hadn't seen a request for a month. We don't want to inundate you with a big long request list, and we don't get all the requests at once. We also want to have the subject matter in the email as it comes into your inbox so you know if it is pertinent to you.

You see an email that says a fan is requested, and you think you may have a fan? You go ahead and open that email and see what we have to say.

You see an email subject asking for some school supplies and you are headed out this week to get some and maybe could grab a few packs of paper? That's also a good one to click.

You see an email with the subject being "Does Anyone Fix A/C?" and there is no way you have any abilities in that area. Sure, skip that one.

Because here is the thing that sometimes we need to remind each other. This whole thing is about guilt-free giving. It's about us helping when and if we can. There are people around Lawrence... whether they are single parents struggling on one income or disabled adults or women working to build a life after abuse or a family who can't afford Christmas. These are people in need. There's no agency that helps provide bedding when a family leaves the shelter. There's no government program for the last week of the month when the budget just doesn't allow for one more tank of gas.

That's why we appreciate you all so much. Open the emails when you can or check the website for a current list. If you have something that we need, let us know. And there you go. That is our process.

Please share with friends. We would love to have even more members, more contributors, more opportunities to answer yes to requests. We're now on Twitter. (100GoodWomenKS). You can follow us there or find us on Facebook. (One Hundred Good Women)

Mattress Firm is our Favorite Firm of All

There's always a process. What someone needs, what someone has, how we get it to the someone from the someone else. And there are a lot of really great people mixed in there in those someones.

But we met someone we really really like. As in, possible adoration. It is born of generosity and empathy. Doug at Mattress Firm is this guy. And here's how it went down. We had a client who really needed a new mattress. She was having breathing issues, there was mold in her mattress (yes.), and she needed a new one. Well, we don't have new mattresses. There are businesses in town who do, though. So, what kind of deal could we strike? We're a real organization doing real things. Doug at Mattress Firm figured that out and shared his generosity with us. He did us one better than we expected. Yeah, you could say that. He said his company has a philanthropic side. We like that kind of side. Doug also has that side.

So thank you, Doug at Mattress Firm. You did us a solid. You did this woman a solid. And if any of you are in the market for a mattress any time soon, we know a real good guy who is a joy to work with. I bet you guessed who. Yeah, Doug at Mattress Firm.

To sign up as a member or to sign up for the newsletter/ blog, please visit 100GoodWomen.org

Small Things that are Big Things

One small thing added on to another small thing can make the world change. See, abuse is a big thing. A huge thing. Pervasive, world altering, gigantic. Gas cards are just small things.

100 Good Women provided a gas card to someone who was staying at the local haven from domestic abuse. She was able to take this gas card and leave. She got in her car and drove somewhere safe. Somewhere new. This small thing provided the means to end this big thing. Doesn't that just make your heart smile?

Thank you to all of you who have donated and helped. There are a lot of these stories and a lot of you who make a difference. If you know someone who wants to be a part of 100 Good Women, please send them to the site to sign up. Move these stories along so people know they can make a difference.

Bathing and Toiletries are a Big Deal

Posted by Sarah, 23 May 2013 - 11:01am

Every day your friend's sister's cousin's old neighbor wakes up at the community shelter. It isn't the same as when you wake up. You might pour a cup of coffee and go take a shower. You pull out your Aveda shampoo and then deep condition. You brush your teeth with your Colgate Whitening. (After your coffee, of course.) You slap on some deodorant and lotion. Then you put on your make-up and fix your hair.

But that friend's sister's cousin's old neighbor is using whatever the community shelter has on hand. We don't always remember that this is an ongoing need. Every day someone needs to bathe, shower, deodorize.

And so we want to remind you of these few things that could help:

1. If you are at a hotel and don't need the travel size goodies they offer, bring them back and make a "donate" pile. The Shelter would love those little Paul Mitchell small sizes. And the brand doesn't matter at all.

2. If you are at Dillon's and see a discount on toiletries, buy a few extra. Those BIGIF deals? Do those! Add them to your "donate" pile.

3. If you buy some new face wash and don't like it after a few uses, don't toss it. Put it in your pile. This goes for shampoo, conditioner, lotion, too.

4. If you happen to be at Hy-Vee, Wal-Mart, Target, Dillon's, and any place like that, can you spare an extra bit of money on a grocery card for the single mom, the working dad, the person who just can't make enough to get by and needs a little groceries? If you would throw down for a card now and again, we would love that. Holler at us when you have it. We are keen on sharing those and having them on hand for requests. Mention that you are getting them for a non-profit and maybe they have a discount!

Thank you for your help. Let us know if you have some things to donate. It is really what we are all about.

Ongoing Needs

Food Banks

Don't forget our local food banks need your support!

Check out the Ongoing Requests page for needs that never go away and that YOU can help with.

Rewards/gift cards

Did you know? One Hundred Good Women will now accept your donated credit card reward certificates or unused gift cards! We keep them on hand for folks and families in need. Email Jennie for more information.

Are Your Dues Due?

We don't send a notice. We just ask that you kindly remember to give your $10 per year dues. You can use the Membership Renewal form and then mail your dues or you could just bring your 10 bucks with you to the next 100 Good Women event!